Patient Inbox™ and the Shift Toward In-Context Patient Education

The Moment for In-Context Patient Communication Has Arrived

Since the start of the pandemic, the EHR inbox has become an increasingly central channel for patient–provider communication. A February 2025 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that physicians across primary care, specialty, and surgical settings are spending significantly more time in the EHR than before March 2020 – much of it responding directly to patient messages. Notably, patient medical advice requests increased meaningfully, with no corresponding decline in other channels such as phone calls, underscoring the growing trust patients place in EHR-based communication. 

Therapeutic brands can join those exchanges and take an active educational role in reaching patients both at the moment of need and during experiences that matter most to healthcare management. InStep Health’s Patient Inbox™ now provides direct-to-consumer messaging, designed to engage patients in the ideal context: their EHR inbox. 

Through Patient Inbox™, life sciences brands can reach a universe of over 80 million patients on several selectable criteria, including ICD-10 or NDC codes, as well as over 300,000 NPIs. This puts branded messages in front of the people who need to see them most, with no modeling or other fuzzy logic required.

When Timing and Relevance Align

Today’s marketers have countless options to connect with broad, undifferentiated audiences. The limitation of mass, untargeted outreach is that it creates a crowded landscape of competing voices, most of which are irrelevant to a consumer’s immediate needs. Patients do not need more noise; they deserve education that matters to them at key moments of decision. 

Patient Inbox™ connects with patients within a relevant care environment, where communication centers on their health needs. Using precise, HIPAA-compliant targeting, messages are delivered based on real clinical events such as diagnoses or prescriptions. This gives healthcare brands the ideal opportunity to address the inevitable “what now?” every patient faces, whether it is managing a complex set of symptoms, learning how to self-administer a biologic, or preparing for a procedure. 

Instead of delivering more DTC collateral, branded therapies can deliver genuine assistance, ideally suited to their present needs. EHR ​​Portals support rich HTML messaging, ensuring that your brand identity is accurately preserved. 

 Exposure to Action Inside the EHR

To preserve the EHR inbox as a care-first environment, Patient Inbox™ requires intentional activation criteria. Campaigns are built using at least one defined dimension, such as a provider list, diagnosis code, or treatment signal, ensuring messages are delivered only when there is a clear clinical rationale. InStep Health partners closely with branded therapy to shape these criteria, helping align education with meaningful moments in the patient journey. 

Once delivered, Patient Inbox™ messages function exactly like native EHR communications. Unlike conventional email, they carry the same encryption and security protections as other portal messages, allowing patients to review information and take next steps, such as contacting their care team, directly within the EHR, without redirects, delays, or channel handoffs. 

Within the message itself, branded therapies can choose from several activations and next steps. With embedded links, patients can browse additional resources on adherence or symptom management or watch instructional videos. Branded therapies can also drive signup to CRM, co-pay support programs, or proactive vaccination notifications. 

Making In-Context Education Measurable

Patient Inbox™ offers brand leaders clear, familiar ways to evaluate performance using standard digital benchmarks. InStep Health provides ongoing reporting across multiple formats, with transparency into message delivery and patient interaction over time, bringing transparency to a channel traditionally difficult to measure. 

Beyond reporting, these insights help position Patient Inbox™ within a broader engagement ecosystem. Performance can be evaluated alongside other digital initiatives, providing insight into how in-context education contributes to overall campaign goals. Rather than operating in isolation, Patient Inbox™ can support a more cohesive, strategically aligned approach to patient engagement. 

What Comes Next for Patient Education

Patients are best supported when information meets them at a moment of real need. For today’s patients, the EHR portal has become that decision hub: the place they turn to review results, manage appointments, receive clinically relevant messaging, and access condition-supportive tools and reminders. In those moments, attention is focused, personal, and deeply connected to care. 

Life science brands do not need to invent a new channel to reach patients at these key moments of care. It is already here. In recent years, EHR Patient Portals have become a significant benefit for patients seeking an at-a-glance, on-demand solution for their healthcare needs, including one-to-one messaging. With InStep Health’s Patient Inbox™, branded therapies can join the conversation and actively educate patients about options that are highly relevant to them.

Explore all of InStep Health’s DTC and professional solutions at www.instephealth.com